Fire fee bills sparking complaints, confusion

As bills for a new fire fee continue arriving in mailboxes, residents are calling their local representatives with plenty of questions and complaints.

"Most of the calls we're receiving are about the (State Responsibility Area Fire Prevention Benefit Fee)," said Jeff Tyrrell, the Ukiah District representative for Sen. Noreen Evans (D - Santa Rosa). "It's definitely the issue of the moment."

Bills, and postcards alerting residents of their arrival, were mailed to Mendocino County residents beginning last month, but Tyrrell said Evans' office was receiving calls about the fee well before that.

"Most of the calls are complaints," he said. "Many residents see the fee as an unreasonable tax, and many constituents have valid concerns."

The California Legislature approved the fee in 2011 as a budget plan to raise $50 million initially and up to $200 million per year. It had to be called a fee because the Legislature could not secure the two-thirds vote needed to impose a new tax.

"The balanced budget that passed was contingent on raising this money," Tyrrell said, explaining that the funds make the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection "more self-sufficient."

According to the information provided at www.firepreventionfee.org, the fee "will fund a variety of important fire prevention services within the SRA including brush clearance around communities on public lands, along roadways and evacuation routes and activities to improve forest health so the forest can better withstand wildfires."

The SRA is described as the area of the state where the State of California is "financially responsible for the prevention and suppression of wildfires," and includes more than 31 million acres and approximately 825,000 habitable structures.

When asked if the fees collected would be funneled into the state's General Fund, Tyrrell said his "belief is that the funds will be used for fire prevention. My understanding is a fee is collected for a special purpose and has to be used for that purpose."

The fee is $150 per habitable structure, and residents who live in the jurisdiction of a local fire protection district can deduct $35 and pay $115 per structure.

The bills are expected to all be mailed by the end of the year, and property owners can expect to receive theirs about two weeks after receiving a postcard.

The Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association announced it intends to file a lawsuit. For more information about challenging the fee and claiming a refund, visit its website: http://firetaxprotest.org

To see if your property is part of the state responsibility area, check the SRA Viewer posted at the Board of Forestry and Fire Protection website: www.bof.fire.ca.gov/sra_viewer.

Properties within the Willits city limits are excluded from the new fees, as are many properties on the Little Lake Valley floor. Excluded from the state responsibility area in Little Lake Valley are properties to the east of Highway 101 north of Willits up to Reynolds Highway; west of Reynolds Highway; west of Eastside Road; north of East Hill Road; and western areas touching the city limits associated with the Sherwood Rancheria.

Covelo properties within the Round Valley basin are excluded from the new fees, as are parts of Potter and Redwood valleys and the Ukiah Valley basin.

The exclusion areas in Fort Bragg and Point Arena are limited to properties solely within the city limits. A small area of the Sanel Valley also is excluded.